2017 FINA World Championships

DAY FIVE FINALS: Dressel Drops 3rd Fastest Textile 100m Free In 47.17

DAY FIVE FINALS: Dressel Drops 3rd Fastest Textile 100m Free In 47.17

Live results and live updates from day five finals at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. This article includes Caeleb Dressel and Nathan Adrian in the 100 freestyle and Lilly King and Yulia Efimova in the 200 breaststroke.

Jul 27, 2017 by Maclin Simpson
DAY FIVE FINALS: Dressel Drops 3rd Fastest Textile 100m Free In 47.17

2017 FINA World Championships

July 23-30, 2017
Budapest, Hungary
Dagály Aquatics Arena
SCHEDULE
PSYCH SHEET
LIVE RESULTS

Day five finals Thursday night at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary featured plenty of exciting swims, but none topped the men's 100m freestyle. This event is always one of the most anticipated races of any World Championships or Olympics and this go around did not disappoint. ​Caeleb Dressel​ of the United States unloaded a 47.17 to re-break his own American record. Dressel is now the seventh fastest performer of all time and his 47.17 is the third-fastest textile swim of all time behind Aussie duo ​Cameron McEvoy ​(47.04) and ​James Magnussen ​(47.10).​

Caeleb Dressel wasn't the only star on day five, however. There was plenty of other action and you can read about it all below.

Men 200m IM -- FINAL
World Record: 1:54.00 -- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
Championship Record: 1:54.00 -- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011
World Junior Record: 1:57.06 -- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2017
American Record: 1:54.00 -- Ryan Lochte (USA), 2011

1.) Chase Kalisz (USA) -- 1:55.56
2.) Kosuke Hagino (JPN) -- 1:56.01
3.) Shun Wang (CHN) -- 1:56.28
4.) Max Litchfield (GBR) -- 1:56.86
5.) Daiya Seto (JPN) -- 1:56.97
6.) Qin Haiyang (CHN) -- 1:57.06 ​(World Junior Record)
7.) Philip Heintz (GER) -- 1:57.43
8.) Jeremy Desplanches (SUI) -- 1:57.50

At the 100-meter mark, Japan's ​Kosuke Hagino ​had the lead with a swift 53.76 split -- 0.28 over world record pace. But that was ​before​ the breaststroke leg. Just like he had done through prelims and semifinals -- ​Chase Kalisz​ made a serious move, splitting a blistering 32.63 over Hagino's 34.07. Hagino made up some ground on the freestyle leg by out-splitting Kalisz 28.18 to 28.47, but Kalisz' breaststroke leg gave him enough of a lead to hang on for the win in 1:55.56 -- his first international gold medal. Hagino touched for silver in 1:56.01 and ​Shun Wang​ of China rounded out the podium for bronze in 1:56.28.

Women 100m Freestyle -- Semifinals
World Record: 51.71 -- Sarah Sjöström (SWE), 2017
Championship Record: 51.71 -- Sarah Sjöström (SWE), 2017
World Junior Record: 52.70 -- Penny Oleksiak (CAN), 2016
American Record: 52.59 -- Mallory Comerford (USA), 2017

​1.) Sarah Sjöström (SWE) -- 52.44 ​(Q)
2.) Simone Manuel (USA) -- 52.69 ​(Q)
3.) Mallory Comerford (USA) -- 52.85 ​(Q)
4.) Pernille Blume (DEN) -- 52.99 ​(Q)
5.) Bronte Campbell (AUS) -- 53.04 ​(Q)
6.) Penny Oleksiak (CAN) -- 53.05 ​(Q)
7.) Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) -- 53.09 ​(Q)
8.) Emma McKeon (AUS) -- 53.20 ​(Q)

No surprises or shakeups in the semifinals of the women's 100m freestyle. Sweden's ​Sarah Sjöström ​led through to the finals with a 52.44 -- but watching her swim it was very evident she left some reserves in the tank to give her recent world record of 51.71 another go. Team USA's ​Simone Manuel​ dropped a 52.69 for the second seed -- a lifetime best for her and one one-hundredth faster than her 52.70 to win the gold medal last summer in Rio. ​Mallory Comerford​ -- who holds the American record with a 52.59 -- qualified third to the finals with a 52.85.

Men 100m Freestyle -- FINAL
World Record: 46.91 -- Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
Championship Record: 46.91 -- Cesar Cielo (BRA), 2009
World Junior Record: 47.58 -- Kyle Chalmers (AUS), 2016
American Record: 47.17 -- Caeleb Dressel (USA), 2017

1.) Caeleb Dressel (USA) -- 47.17 ​(American Record)
2.) Nathan Adrian (USA) -- 47.87
3.) Mehdy Metella (FRA) -- 47.89
4.) Cameron McEvoy (AUS) -- 47.92
5.) Duncan Scott (GBR) -- 48.11
5.) Marcelo Chierighini (BRA) -- 48.11
7.) Jack Cartwright (AUS) -- 48.24
8.) Sergii Shevtsov (UKR) -- 48.26

​Caeleb Dressel ​is on another planet right now. No matter what race he is in, it is almost impossible to bet against him. Dressel rocketed out to the lead at the 50-meter mark with a blistering fast 22.31 to the feet. France's ​Mehdy Metella​ was not too far behind in 22.58, and actually looked to be gaining on Dressel, but with 20 meters to go Dressel took his last breath, put his head down, and accelerated to an unbelievable tempo to get his hand on the wall first in 47.17 -- breaking his own American record. Thanks to a 24.90 last 50, ​Nathan Adrian ​was able to slingshot past Metella one lane over and grab the silver in 47.87 for a USA 1-2 punch. Metella rounded out the podium for bronze in 47.89.

Women 50m Backstroke -- FINAL
World Record: 27.06 -- Jing Zhao (CHN), 2009
Championship Record: 27.06 -- Jing Zhao (CHN), 2009
World Junior Record: 27.49 -- Minna Atherton (AUS), 2016
American Record: 27.51 -- Natalie Coughlin (USA), 2015

1.) Etiene Medeiros (BRA) -- 27.14
2.) Yuanhui Fu (CHN) -- 27.15
3.) Aliaksandra Herasimenia (BLR) -- 27.23
4.) Emily Seebohm (AUS) -- 27.37
5.) Kathleen Baker (USA) -- 27.50
6.) Xueer Wang (CHN) -- 27.55
7.) Holly Barratt (AUS) -- 27.60
8.) Georgia Davies (GBR) -- 27.61

Another sprint backstroke world record from the 2009 supersuit era almost went down Thursday night. Brazil's ​Etiene Medeiros ​and China's ​Yuanhui Fu​ were going stroke for stroke -- fighting for the gold medal. With about 10 meters to go, it looked like Medeiros in a decisive win; however, Fu cranked up her tempo to pull even. This one came down to who had the most well-timed finish -- which was Medeiros who touched in 27.14 with Fu touching one one-hundredth behind in 27.15. Both of them were less than a tenth away from ​Jing Zhao's​ world record of 27.06. ​Aliaksandra Herasimenia ​of Belarus rounded out the podium for bronze in 27.23.

Men 200m Breaststroke -- Semifinals
World Record: 2:06.67 -- Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2017
Championship Record: 2:07.14 -- Anton Chupkov (RUS), 2017
World Junior Record: 2:09.39 -- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2017
American Record: 2:07.17 -- Josh Prenot (USA), 2016

1.) Anton Chupkov (RUS) -- 2:07.14 ​(Championship Record) (Q)
2.) Ippei Watanabe (JPN) -- 2:07.44 ​(Q)
3.) Ross Murdoch (GBR) -- 2:07.72 ​(Q)
4.) Yasuhiro Koseki (JPN) -- 2:07.80 ​(Q)
5.) Kevin Cordes (USA) -- 2:08.40 ​(Q)
6.) Ilya Khomenko (RUS) -- 2:08.58 ​(Q) 
7.) Matthew Wilson (AUS) -- 2:08.64 ​(Q)
8.) Nic Fink (USA) -- 2:08.80 ​(Q)

Russia's ​Anton Chupkov​ swam a nearly effortless race for the first 150 meters -- gliding with an incredible distance per stroke. But then he turned it on. Chupkov blasted the jets over the final 50 meters, splitting a monster 31.87 -- six tenths faster than ​Ippei Watanabe ​of Japan and over two seconds faster than ​Kevin Cordes​ -- to take the top seed with a new Championship and European record of 2:07.14. Watanabe -- the current world record holder -- is the second seed going into Friday night's final in 2:07.44 and Great Britain's ​Ross Murdoch ​is the third seed in 2:07.72. Cordes and ​Nic Fink​ also made it through to the final in 5th and 8th, respectively.

Women 200m Butterfly -- FINAL
World Record: 2:01.81 -- Liu Zige (CHN), 2009 
Championship Record: 2:03.41 -- Jessica Schipper (AUS), 2009
World Junior Record: 2:06.29 -- Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN), 2017
American Record: 2:04.14 -- Mary DeScenza (USA), 2009

1.) Mireia Belmonte (ESP) -- 2:05.26
2.) Franziska Hentke (GER) -- 2:05.39
3.) Katinka Hosszu (HUN) -- 2:06.02
4.) Sehyeon An (KOR) -- 2:06.67
5.) Yufei Zhang (CHN) -- 2:07.06
6.) Suzuka Hasegawa (JPN) -- 2:07.43
7.) Liliana Szilagyi (HUN) -- 2:07.58
8.) Yilin Zhou (CHN) -- 2:07.67

What a race. The top three finishers all turned at the 150-meter mark within striking distance of one another -- and more importantly, the gold medal. ​Mireia Belmonte​ of Spain turned in 1:32.81, ​Franziska Hentke​ of Germany turned in 1:33.16, and hometown hero ​Katinka Hosszu ​of Hungary turned in 1:33.32. They all maintained their position over the final 50 meters with similar 32 mid splits, but in the end it was the 2016 Olympic gold medalist Belmonte who defended her title of world's best in 2:05.26. That time is only a few tenths off the 2:04.8 she swam in Rio for the gold medal. Hentke snagged the silver in 2:05.39 and Hosszu grabbed the bronze in 2:06.02 to a raucous ovation from the Hungarian crowd.

Women 200m Breaststroke -- Semifinals
World Record: 2:19.11 -- Rikke Moeller Pedersen (DEN), 2013
Championship Record: 2:19.11 -- Rikke Moeller Pedersen (DEN), 2013
World Junior Record: 2:19.64 -- Viktoria Zeynep Gunes (TUR), 2015
American Record: 2:19.59 -- Rebecca Soni (USA), 2012

1.) Yulia Efimova (RUS) -- 2:21.49 ​(Q)
2.) Bethany Galat (USA) -- 2:21.86 ​(Q)
3.) Taylor McKeown (AUS) -- 2:22.10 ​(Q)
4.) Jinglin Shi (CHN) -- 2:23.17 ​(Q)
5.) Kierra Smith (CAN) -- 2:23.18 ​(Q)
6.) Jessica Vall (ESP) -- 2:23.49 ​(Q)
7.) Molly Renshaw (GBR) -- 2:23.51 ​(Q)
8.) Lilly King (USA) -- 2:23.81 ​(Q)

Just when you think Russia's ​Yulia Efimova ​is out of the race in the 200m breaststroke -- she's not. Efimova was dead last (8th) at the 100m mark of the second semifinal. But then she blasted out of nowhere, picked up her tempo drastically, and surged ahead to almost even split the race (1:10.5/1:10.9) and take the top seed in 2:21.49. ​Bethany Galat ​of the United States had a fantastic race, dropping a lifetime best of 2:21.86 to take the second seed. ​Lilly King ​barely​ snuck into this final in 8th with a 2:23.81. Nobody gave King a fighting chance in this race -- maybe not even herself -- until her 2:21 at U.S. Nationals, but she will need to better that time to stand atop the podium again. One thing is for sure, Efimova won't be able to play the same sort of game in Friday night's final and take home the gold medal.

Men 200m Backstroke -- Semifinals
World Record: 1:51.92 -- Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009
Championship Record: 1:51.92 -- Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009
World Junior Record: 1:55.15 -- Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2017
American Record: 1:51.92 -- Aaron Peirsol (USA), 2009

1.) Xu Jiayu (CHN) -- 1:54.79 ​(Q)
2.) Ryan Murphy (USA) -- 1:54.93 ​(Q)
3.) Evgeny Rylov (RUS) -- 1:54.96 ​(Q)
4.) Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) -- 1:55.15 ​(World Junior Record) (Q)
5.) Jacob Pebley (USA) -- 1:55.20 ​(Q)
6.) Ryosuke Irie (JPN) -- 1:55.79 ​(Q)
6.) Peter Bernek (HUN) -- 1:55.79 ​(Q)
8.) Danas Rapsys (LTU) -- 1:56.11 ​(Q)

100m backstroke champion ​Xu Jiayu​ of China blasted out the gates the first 100 meters in 54.62 -- 0.28 ahead of world record pace and 2.11 seconds ahead of defending Olympic gold medalist ​Ryan Murphy​ (56.73). Just like he did in prelims, Murphy sat back the first 150 and then crushed the final turn, making up almost two seconds on Xu the last 50. Check out these differences in splits: Xu -- (26.22)(28.40)(29.79)(30.38) for a 1:54.79 and the top seed; Murphy -- (27.09)(29.64)(29.69)(28.51) for a 1:54.93 and the second seed. Murphy might not lead Xu at the 100, but you can be certain he will be out much faster in Friday night's final to defend his title as world's best from 2016 and overcome disappointment of his 3rd place finish in the 100. ​Russia's ​Evgeny Rylov​ is the third seed with a 1:54.96 and ​Jacob Pebley ​is the fifth seed in 1:55.20.
 
Women 4x200m Freestyle Relay -- FINAL
World Record: 7:42.08 -- China, 2009
Championship Record: 7:42.08 -- China, 2009
American Record: 7:42.56 -- USA, 2009

1.) USA -- 7:43.39
2.) China -- 7:44.96
3.) Australia -- 7:48.51
4.) Russia -- 7:48.59
5.) Japan -- 7:50.43
6.) Hungary -- 7:51.33
7.) Netherlands -- 7:54.29
8.) Canada -- 7:55.57

Woah. How about ​Leah Smith​? Smith led off the United States relay with a very quick 1:55.97 -- faster than her 1:56.06 in the individual final Wednesday night -- to get the stars and stripes in great position with ​Mallory Comerford ​and ​Melanie Margalis​ in the middle of the lineup. Comerford and Margalis did their job, both splitting 1:56's to set up ​Katie Ledecky ​for a battle with China going into the anchor leg. At the 600-meter mark, the United States led China by just 13 one-hundredths of a second -- 5:49.37 to 5:49.50. But that was before Ledecky dove into the water. Ledecky threw down a monster 1:54.02 to outdo China's ​Bingjie Li's ​1:55.46 and earn a gold medal for Team USA. That relay victory keeps the U.S. undefeated so far at these World Championships -- combined men and women -- for a perfect 4-for-4.​

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